The current proposed site has drawn ire from some residents and business owners who fear the plant will emit a stench that could affect quality of life and property values.
Project engineers chose the current location, north of Highway 62 and west of Utah Trail, based on topography, said City Manager Frank Luckino. Sites further from densely populated areas could add to the project’s price tag in the form of added pipe, pumping costs if the sewage has to be transported uphill (rather than rely on gravity), or construction if the site is in the floodplain and needs to be raised.
The topic was brought up as a future agenda item request, and city staff are looking for direction, Luckino said.
Groundwater in Twentynine Palms is not yet known to suffer from excess nitrogen loading (as other places such as Yucca Valley have experienced).
“As the population continues to grow and more lands are urbanized, water usage and therefore septic loading within the district service is anticipated to increase,” Luckino said, quoting from the city’s Salt and Nutrient Management Plan.
The term “nutrient loading” is used a lot, Luckino said, before explaining.
“Septic tanks discharge into a leach field and then the earth is that filter,” he said. The earth can denitrify discharge naturally as it trickles through slowly, before it hits and replenishes the groundwater supply, unless the septic load – with added development – becomes higher concentration and heavier and the discharge begins to move through the earth faster. “That is what the challenge is to prevent, and is ultimately why you do a wastewater treatment facility.”
A US Geological Survey study is planned to test the nitrogen loading for the area, including making future projections as to how growth and development could impact groundwater quality, but that study will take five years.
Though the meeting was sparsely attended, resident Joseph Carder, with the organization Stop the Sewer, pleaded with Council to explore alternatives.
“I’m here representing the thousands of people across our city that think the current sewer plan, including the proposed location for the plant, is a bad idea,” Carder said. “This is only a motion to study what it would take to move the plant, so that the citizens of your city can make an informed decision, so that you can make an informed decision.”
Councilmember Octavious Scott advocated for finding a location that was one mile from homes, and also wants a better idea of the projected cost for residents and businesses.
The project was inspired by the availability of state money – when the state had a budget surplus – which was meant to help disadvantaged communities convert from septic systems to sewers. Originally the state had a pot worth $350 million, but this amount has shrunk to $200 million. Twentynine Palms has now been promised – though it has not been confirmed by an official letter- $50 million in funding for the project (Yucca will get $86 million for theirs). “That’s the unofficial distribution,” Luckino said.
The grant includes money to help households hook up to the system for free, which typically costs about $12,000 per household, give or take, Luckino said.
The catch is that treatment plant construction needs to begin in 2024 and wrap in 2026. When the council voted to authorize further location studies, Luckino said he would look into requesting an extension.
Council then turned attention to the next agenda item, which pertained to a former a former, now-abandoned, mobile home park at 5074 Adobe Road.
Council agreed that the conditional non-conforming land-use permit had expired once the property became vacant in 2018, and thus the permit was null and void. The property is currently zoned as service-commercial.
“You have to continually use a permit in order to keep it,” said Community Development Director Keith Gardner.
Additionally, in opening remarks, each council member reported back on meetings they had attended, including a League of Cities conference.
Councilmember Joel Klink, perhaps setting the tone for this particularly cordial meeting, recounted a comment from a keynote speaker. ” ‘The purpose of local government is to enable individuals to join together in recognizing and solving community problems,'” Klink quoted. “I really hope that’s the way we’re going to be going from now on,” Klink said, “not just city council up here but everybody getting together and recognizing and solving our community problems.”
